Preparation for sessions is easy to overlook, but it has a huge impact on how well you can play. Physicality underpins performance.
In order to make the most of your training, it’s very important to understand how your body usually works so you can help prepare and improve it.
Here are 4 exercises that help YOU to assess how YOUR body normally works before any training session, and help YOU to improve it!
These exercises target 3 key joints involved in volleyball movements; your ankle, your hip and your shoulder.
If your range of motion around these joints is restricted, it’s much more difficult to perform technical volleyball movements like hitting, serving, passing and setting efficiently and repeatedly without risking injury. Here’s a little more about why, and what to aim for;
Knee to Wall
If your ankle range is restricted it makes it more difficult to stay low consistently in passing positions, as well as can limit your jump height!
Target: Toes 10-12cm away from the wall.
Active Straight Leg Raise
If your posterior chain is tight it’s likely to make it more difficult for you to consistently get into good passing positions as well as make controlling your pelvis more difficult.
Target: Leg vertical whilst you keep a back flat against the floor.
Hip Flexor Mobility
If you find it difficult to keep your pelvis level during movement, it’s likely that you will find it difficult to reach full hip extension during your jump, reducing how high you can get!
Target: Knee 10-12cm from the wall whilst keeping a level pelvis.
Pinkie to Wall
If you find it difficult to raise your arms over your head without arching your back your ability to hit the ball hard and your ability to volley/reverse volley well are likely to be restricted.
Target: Touch your little finger on the wall whilst keeping your back flat against the wall and arms straight.
Use these exercises to find out what’s normal for you and then you can build moving forward. If you’d like to know a little bit more take a look at our website VolleyScience for more advise about preparing yourself physically to play awesome volleyball!
If you have any questions, get in touch on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to help you.
Author: Gary Hutt
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